1. Field of the Invention
The inventor has worked in construction and has built forms for receiving fluid concrete in the construction of a wall. The form for a concrete wall comprises two sheets of plywood spaced-apart six inches or eight inches to designate a defined space. The forms are secured at the top and at the bottom to withstand the outward pressure of the fluid concrete.
Generally, a concrete truck having a rotating drum for the mixing of its concrete is maneuvered close to the forms. A chute on the truck is beneath the rotating drum. The end of the chute is positioned so as to direct the fluid concrete into the forms. The forms have a six-inch or eight-inch distance between them. The lip on the radius of the truck chute is twelve inches wide. Getting the chute to line up directly over the form is a constant problem. Unfortunately, some of the fluid concrete spills on the outside of the form or on the ground. This concrete is totally wasted. The concrete that falls onto the form is now dried and must be cleaned off. This adds to the cost of the project.
The inventor has worked in the Skilled Building Trades as a carpenter for 28 years. The inventor has invented a funnel to keep all of the fluid concrete on the inside of the form during the pouring of a concrete wall. The upper part of the funnel sets approximately six inches above the top of the form. The lower part of the funnel sets approximately four inches down inside the form. The workman positions the concrete truck chute so that the fluid concrete flows through the funnel and into the form. As a result, there is no spillage of fluid concrete onto the form or onto the ground.
Further, many exterior walls of commercial buildings are constructed of cement block. In the construction of cement block walls, every sixth horizontal row of cement block is called a bond beam. There is positioned in the cell of each bond beam block, a vertical rod of 5/8-inch diameter reinforcing rod. Also, there is positioned horizontally in the bond beam (half the depth down, 31/2 inches) two 5/8-inch reinforcing rods that run continuous. Fluid concrete is poured into the bond beam block, filling all of the cells of the first five horizontal rows and the bond beam. This process is called "grouting the cells." The process is repeated again on the next set of six horizontal rows (called a "lift"), until the top of the wall is reached. A two-inch flexible hose runs from a concrete pump to pump the concrete to grout the cells. The concrete pump surges while pumping. This causes the hose to lurch, making it difficult for the workman to keep the fluid concrete inside the defined space of the bond beam during the pour. Concrete invariably overflows and runs down the outside of the cement block wall. As the surface of the cement block is porous, the spattered fluid concrete has a tendency to dry quickly on the wall. The dried, spattered concrete has to be cleaned off. This is a waste of labor and concrete.
This invention is directed to the following: for setting the funnel partially down inside the bond beam so that the funnel directs the flow of fluid concrete into the bond beam for the grouting of the cells. None of the concrete is wasted or spattered on the walls. The workman can direct the flexible hose so that the fluid concrete flows through the funnel and into the bond beam. The width of the target he must hit with the pump hose increases from four inches to fifteen inches in width. As a result, concrete is not wasted by being accidentally spattered on the walls with the pursuant labor to clean the wall.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The inventor has reviewed the prior art and considers that subject inventions define over the prior art. None of aforementioned teaches of or describes a funnel similar to the funnel disclosed and claimed in this patent application.